Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike has been linked with a switch to Everton this summer and renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has dropped a key update on the matter.
How old is Hugo Ekitike?
The Frenchman is still just 21 years of age, but is seen as a player with a bright future in the game, having already represented PSG, despite having Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar around to relegated him to the substitutes' bench.
Ekitike has made 33 appearances for his current club, scoring and assisting four times apiece, but it could still be that he departs this summer, rather than struggling for playing time at the Ligue 1 champions, even though he only actually signed permanently recently, after initially joining on loan last summer.
Everton have emerged as one of the front-runners to sign the youngster during the current transfer window, as they continue to look for attacking reinforcements. Their profligacy in front of goal was once again highlighted in last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham – Neal Maupay missed a number of good chances – and it is imperative that new faces arrive between now and the end of the month.
Up until now, the Blues have failed to reach an agreement with PSG over a move for Ekitike, and a new update doesn't make for great reading for supporters.
Will Everton sign Hugo Ekitike?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano admitted that Everton are looking increasingly unlikely to sign Ekitike this summer, as things stand:
"Yeah, with Hugo Ekitike they tried the loan to buy option but, at the moment, there is still no agreement with Paris Saint-Germain. They wanted at least a €35m package for Ekitike and the bid was way below these numbers. So, at the moment, it’s not something that is easy, so let’s see if Everton will try again, but it’s a complicated dilemma."
It does appear as though Everton's pursuit of Ekitike is running out of a steam a little, and there must come a point when they walk away from him and look to bring in an alternative option instead.
The Blues can't afford to be wasting their time looking to sign players, given the need for attacking quality as soon as possible, so if an agreement can't be reached very soon, it will have to be looked at as one that got away.
Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…
Of course, should the situation suddenly change and Everton end up acquiring Ekitike's signature, it could be such an exciting piece of business by the club. Reims manager Oscar Garcia has waxed lyrical about him, saying:
"There is something very special about him. He’s young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on, but he works hard in training."
This outlines what a big talent Ekitike is, and what a long-term signing he would be for Everton, given his age, so the hope is that there is another twist to come and that the six-time capped France Under-20 international is plying his trade on Merseyside sooner rather than later.